Three runners from the Northwest Valley boosted their confidence heading into the state cross country championships by winning their sectional meets.

Three runners from the Northwest Valley boosted their confidence heading into the state cross country championships by winning their sectional meets.

Mountain Ridge runner Cameron Sullivan took the boys Desert Valley region crown Oct. 30, beating out a trio of Brophy runners.

Queen Creek won the East Sky Region wrestling tournament Saturday at Apache Junction High School, scoring 275.50 points.

Though team and individual championships may be a bit out of reach this weekend, Northwest Valley cross country runners have something to shoot for.

RICHARD SMITH

This is the year.

Free from school on a field trip, Omar Espinoza plunked several quarters into Mario Kart at Playland Arcade on this city's famous pier.

East Valley school board races this fall have drawn a great deal of interest, with contested races now in place for Mesa, Gilbert and Higley unified school districts, Kyrene and Tempe elementary districts, and the Tempe Union High School District.

Who'll stop the reign?

The difference between Chandler Hamilton coach Steve Belles’ first year and second year guiding the Huskies was one fewer win. A 13-1 campaign followed by a 12-1. That single discrepancy in record was not playing in the title game and hence not winning the championship.

5A-II girls team standings (5 events scored)

The Ironwood High School wrestling team were rude hosts during the 20-team Ironwood Wrestling Invitational as the home team won the dual portion of the event Jan. 18 then came back and claimed third in the individual event Saturday. A day after narrowly beating 5A Div-I Dobson to claim the dual team tournament, the 5A Div-II Eagles sent four wrestlers to the finals Saturday scoring 123 points as Brophy narrowly edged the Eagles for second with 124.5 points. Dobson was the tournament winner with 188 points. Highlighting the Eagles performance were Charlie Burroughs, who won the 142- pound weight class and senior Caleb McGee, the winner in the heavyweight division. Austen Moore of Ironwood was the runner-up in the 137-pound weight class while Sean Kane finished second at 154 pounds. The Eagles also placed Kyle Yee, fifth at 105 pounds, Daniel Bates, fifth at 127 pounds, Aaron Prince, sixth at 173 pounds and Zach Fraedrich, fifth at 217 pounds. Among the other top Northwest Valley performances; the Centennial Coyotes ended fourth in the dual tournament Jan. 18 while Desert West Region rival Sunrise Mountain finshed fifth on Saturday. From the 4A Div-I ranks, the Cactus Cobras placed seventh Saturday. Along with Burroughs and McGee, the other Northwest Valley individual champions were Centennial's Cody Leisten in the 132-pound weight class and Tyler Binkley of Sunrise Mountain in the 147-pound weight class. Below are the team results from both days and the individual placers in each weight class Saturday. Day 1 Dual Tournament Results 1. Ironwood 2. Dobson 3. Brophy 4. Centennial 5. Lake Havasu 6. Buckeye 7. Sunnyslope 8. Sunrise Mountain 9. Willow Canyon 10. Cactus Shadows 11. Westview 12. Cactus 13. Tempe 14. Millennium 15. Apollo 16. Phoenix Christian 17. Goldwater 18. Tolleson 19. Valley Vista 20. Valley Christian Day 2 Bracket Results 1. Dobson 188 2. Brophy 124.5 3. Ironwood 123 4. Lake Havasu 98 5. Sunrise Mountain 92.5 6. Buckeye 80 7. Cactus 64.5 8. Centennial 64 T9. Millennium 56 T9. Westview 56 11. Apollo 47 12. Tempe 44 13. Willow Canyon 42 14. Cactus Shadows 37 15. Sunnyslope 24 16. Phoenix Christian 23 17. Goldwater 19 18. Tolleson 14 19. Valley Vista 11.5 20. Valley Christian 2 Individual Results 105 pounds Champ: Dillion Casillas, Dobson Runner-up: Henry Doan, Millennium 3rd: Robert Cortez, Apollo 4th: Steven Locke, Cactus Shadows 5th: Kyle Yee, Ironwood 6th: Trymer Nahrgang, Centennial 114 pounds Champ: Adrian Candelaria, Buckeye Runner-up: Jacob Villa, Tempe 3rd: Ryan Stanley, Dobson 4th: Paul Looper, Brophy 5th: Nate Peterson, Willow Canyon 6th: Kyle Cartright, Lake Havasu 121 pounds Champ: Brandon Horton, Lake Havasu Runner-up: Titan Cheatham, Westview 3rd: John Apolinar, Goldwater 4th: Peter McKuek, Centennial 5th: Johnathan Romero, Apollo 6th: Darrin Perez, Buckeye 127 pounds Champ: Tadeo Ruelas, Brophy Runner-up: Nick Roberts, Westview 3rd: Milo Besich, Tempe 4th: Alejandro Varela, Tolleson 5th: Daniel Bates, Ironwood 6th: Mateo Yslas, Dobson 132 pounds Champ: Cody Leisten, Centennial Runner-up: Jermey Schieisow, Buckeye 3rd: Jordan Powell, Dobson 4th: Derrick Wade, Willow Canyon 5th: Seth Coronado, Sunrise Mountain 6th: Cody Ferguson, Lake Havasu 137 pounds Champ: Steve Taylor, Millennium Runner-up: Austen Moore, Ironwood 3rd: Cody Lewis, Dobson 4th: Zak Coronado, Sunrise Mountain 5th: Ammon Bybee, Buckeye 6th: Adriel Espinoza, Sunnyslope 142 pounds Champ: Charlie Burroughs, Ironwood Runner-up: Cody Norton, Brophy 3rd: Dennis Boone, Buckeye 4th: Matt Lee, Sunrise Mountain 5th: Jeff Miles, Dobson 6th: A.J. Henley, Willow Canyon 147 pounds Champ: Tyler Binkley, Sunrise Mountain Runner-up: Lucas Stark, Dobson 3rd: Clint Norton, Brophy 4th: B. Feger-Owsley, Sunnyslope 5th: Daniel Sieker, Lake Havasu 6th: Justin Walkenbach, Valley Vista 154 pounds Champ: Michael Walton, Lake Havasu Runner-up: Sean Kane, Ironwood 3rd: Jake Slebodnik, Sunrise Mountain 4th: Kendall Wooden, Cactus 5th: Robert Balint, Brophy 6th: Daniel Miranda, Valley Vista 162 pounds Champ: Kadeem Hollman, Dobson Runner-up: Evan Hillis, Tempe 3rd: Kendon Hatch, Cactus 4th: Nate Desantiago, Phoenix Christian 5th: Carl Matthes, Cactus Shadows 6th: Casey Ballard, Buckeye 173 pounds Champ: Diego Ezrre, Brophy Runner-up: Brit Mullenaux, Dobson 3rd: Christian Mays, Millennium 4th: Colton Fagan, Centennial 5th: Ryan Sterner, Cactus Shadows 6th: Aarron Prince, Ironwood 191 pounds Champ: Kyle Henson, Dobson Runner-up: Bryan Click, Brophy 3rd: Ben Monarrez, Cactus 4th: Chris Huber, Willow Canyon 5th: Roman Fernandez, Sunrise Mountain 6th: Eric Ramsey, Westview 217 pounds Champ: Christian Long, Dobson Runner-up: Apollo Ford, Cactus 3rd: Roy Horstman, Lake Havasu 4th: Ernesto Siordia, Apollo 5th: Zach Fraedrick, Ironwood 6th: Brett Fitzgerald, Brophy Heavyweight Champ: Caleb McGee, Ironwood Runner-up: Aarron Passon, Cactus 3rd: Ryan Jordan, Lake Havasu 4th: Vincent Shatwell, Westview 5th: Kyle Kwaad, Sunrise Mountain 6th: Kyle Shillington, Phoenix Christian

Skyline won the championship of the Queen Creek Turkey Shoot girls basketball tournament at Queen Creek Tuesday with a 50-44 win over Coolidge.

Shortly before the races were set to begin at the State Cross Country Meet Saturday morning in Phoenix, Mountain Ridge Head Coach Don Tate was cautiously optimistic about his team's chances. "Hopefully, we'll have some good news to report in a couple of hours," Tate said. As it turns out, he was right. The Mountain Lion women's team finished second overall to Xavier College Prep, but the stars of the show were no surprise at all. Nadia and Nastia Bishton finished first and second, respectively, more than 30 seconds ahead of the next closest runner. After the race, as many other girls were collapsing from exhaustion around them, the Bishton sisters seemed barely even winded. "We wanted to go out there and finish one and two, and we did that," Nadia said. "I couldn't be happier about the way it went." Nadia said she felt like they were working together to put distance between them and the other runners. "I could feel her on my heels the whole race, and that just motivated me to push a little harder," Nadia said. Nastia said she felt the same way. "Every time I would start to gain on her, I could see her sort of hunch her shoulders and pick up the pace," Nastia said. "She was not going to let me catch her, but that ended up benefiting us both." Nadia finished with a time of 17:28.25, with Nastia on her heels with a time of 17:30.40. With the win, Nadia repeated as individual state champion. "It feels great to be able to do it again, but it was more important to us to finish in the top two spots," Nadia said. As for their times, which were much faster than anticipated, the sisters had a difference of opinion. Nadia said it was no surprise at all, while Nastia was a little more reserved. "I was hoping for us to get below 18 minutes, but I thought our times would be just under," Nastia said. "So yeah, it was a bit of a shock." Nastia said the course, at the Cave Creek Municipal Golf Course at 19th Avenue and Greenway, definitely played in their favor. "I love this course," Nastia said. "There are a lot of hills, but they are sort of rolling hills, you know? They are easy to deal with, and the conditions were very good." Nadia said her and her sister's plans for the future are pretty straight forward. "We're going to keep running," Nadia said. Listed below are the state results from the 5A Div-I girls race as well as the races involving other Northwest Valley athletes. Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix 5A Div-I Girls Team Results 1. Xavier 69 2. Mountain Ridge 89 3. Mesa Mountain View 94 4. Mountain Pointe 141 5. Desert Vista 194 6. Corona del Sol 206 7. Salpointe Catholic 213 8. Basha 221 9. Buena 245 10. Red Mountain 295 Individual Results 1. Nadia Bishton, Mountain Ridge, 17:28.25 2. Nastia Bishton, Mountain Ridge, 17:30.40 3. Jessica Tonn, Xavier, 18:03.75 4. Kristina Vanderhout, Xavier, 18:30.00 5. Aubri Carman, Mountain Pointe, 18:42.95 Mountain Ridge team results 1. Nadia Bishton, 17:28.25 2. Nastia Bishton, 17:30.40 22. Katelin Radosevich, 20:17.45 29. Natalie Robinson, 20:30 32. Franki Catania, 20:38.05 39. Nathalie Nguyen, 20:54.05 44. Marina Trent, 21:01 Boys Team Results 1. Alhambra 64 2. Desert Vista 122 3. Mesa Mountain View 167 4. Mesquite 171 5. Salpointe Catholic 183 6. Highland 196 7. Buena 205 8. Red Mountain 229 9. Mountain Pointe 229 10. Corona del Sol 287 15. Mountain Ridge 369 Individual Results 1. Matt Boughton, Desert Vista, 16:05.20 2. Humberton Gonzales, Cesar Chavez, 16:13.80 3. Derek Breinholt, Highland, 16:20.95 4. D.J. Johnson, Mesa Mountain View, 16:28.65 5. Jackson Messer, Salpointe Catholic, 16:29.90 Mountain Ridge team results 43. Cameron Sullivan, 17:24.50 74. David Wagner, 17:57.70 81. Peter Geroulis, 18:07.85 83. Kyle Marshall, 18:08.90 88. Jnah Majure, 18:14.90 100. Giacomo Cappalletti, 18:21.25 151. Brad Wood, 19:40.10 5A Div-II Boys Team Results 1. Marana Mountain View, 70 2. Horizon, 70 3. Ironwood Ridge, 103 4. Sunnyside, 108 5. Camelback, 220 6. Rincon, 259 7. Central, 260 8. Pinnacle, 271 9 Centennial, 275 10. South Mountain, 330 14. Sunrise Mountain, 388 18. Deer Valley, 431 19. Ironwood, 483 Individual Results 1. Jim Walmsley, Horizon, 15:37.45 2. Marcus Whitt, Marana Mountain View, 16:05.95 3. Ben Jankunas, Horizon, 16:25.40 4. Alberto Tellez, Camelback, 16:35.95 5. Fabian Romero, Sunnyside, 16:37.85 Centennial Team Results 30. Jared Penner, 17:53.55 47. Vincent Feifarek, 18:22.70 49. Philip Davia, 18:24.50 59. Marcus Penner, 18:38.70 90. Skyler Nelson, 19:16.00 98. Mark Slusar, 19:20.45 101. Andres Aguirre, 19:22.95 Sunrise Mountain Team Results 63. Brandon Kocmoud, 18:41.90 67. Jeffrey Lime, 18:46.45 79. Paul Chagolla, 19:02.30 87. Ernest Cano, 19:12.80 92. Jean Vargo, 19:17.25 127. Matthew Vossler, 19:59.65 148. Mychal McCormick, 20:36.05 Deer Valley Team Results 9. John Espinoza, 17:00.60 78. Andrew Austin, 19:02.05 86. Jose Chavez, 19:11.85 117. Kyle Kaiser, 19:49.70 141. Zach Strong, 20:22.90 Ironwood Team Results 75. Desert Muserelli, 19:01.00 82. Kevin Kobashigawa, 19:04.65 97. Nathan Coury, 19:19.95 111. Robert Wieser, 19:39.40 118. Austin Childs, 19:51.75 119. Dante Zuniga, 19:53.80 128. Taylor Denvich, 19:59.95 4A Div-I Boys Team Results 1. Sabino, 56 2. Catalina Foothills, 73 3. Shadow Mountain, 113 4. Nogales, 115 5. Prescott, 148 6. Flowing Wells, 171 7. Cactus Shadows, 189 8. Canyon del Oro, 202 9. Thunderbird, 213 10. Sandra Day O'Connor, 257 13. Cactus, 321 Individual Results 1. Ben Schild, Prescott, 16:25.05 2. Aaron Puerta, Nogales, 16:27.70 3. Cody Smith, Shadow Mountain, 16:30.30 4. Steven Gregg, Sabino, 16:41.55 5. Edgar Sotomayor, Nogales, 16:42.95 Cactus Team Results 19. Brandon Taylor, 17:29.70 62. Justin Jones, 18:39.30 67. Dylan Newport, 18:49.65 76. Brett Murdock, 19:15.70 97. Garrett Deffner, 20:38.35 112. Joe Musso, 22:34.20 114. Jeff Otto, 23:25.45 Girls Team Results 1. Sandra Day O'Connor, 47 2. Cactus Shadows, 74 3. Nogales, 86 4. Saguaro, 115 5. Catalina Foothills, 152 6. McClintock, 155 7. Sabino, 159 8. Chaparral, 219 9. Apollo, 259 10. Millennium, 260 11. Cactus, 266 Individual Results 1. Lindsay Prescott, Sandra Day O'Connor, 18:34.15 2. Lisette Michaels, Cactus, 19:40.45 3. Zahira Jimenez, Nogales, 19:48.10 4. Natalie Omudson, Cactus Shadows, 19:51.90 5. Loren Wynn, Saguaro, 20:12.50 Cactus Team Results 2. Lisette Michaels, 19:40.45 25. Megan Young, 21:40.35 59. Chelsea Merrell, 23:11.85 78. Sandi Zarate, 24:28.00 102. Raquel Gimmie, 27:45.90 107. Kim Willcox, 30:31.80 108. Jill Yazzie, 31:28.55

As in all of its tight games this season, Centennial was in search of a spark in the 5A-II state title game Friday afternoon at University of Phoenix Stadium against Avondale Westview.

Fresh faces in previously unfamiliar places was a common sight at Jobing.com Arena on Saturday, as six high school wrestling classes concluded the season.